The Poacher’s Moon by Richard Peirce, a chilling account of rhino poaching

When wildlife conservationist Richard Peirce learnt about the targeting of three private game reserves in the Western Cape in 2011 and the butchery of some of their rhinos, he embarked on a crusade to raise public awareness about the horrors of rhino poaching.

This is the story of Higgins and Lady, two rhinos from the farm Fairy Glen that defied the odds by surviving a brutal attack. Peirce keeps the reader spellbound as he recounts the series of attacks and their aftermath in chilling detail: the unbearable savagery, suspect police work, shady characters, mysterious happenings and death threats.

Reading like a crime thriller, this account of dogged survival, compassion and triumph – along with desperate attmepts to outwit the poaching mafia – will have wide appeal. Colour images throughout, taken as the drama unfolded, bring the subject even more vividly to life.

Richard Peirce is best known as a shark conservationist – his main focus for over 20 years. Chairman of the Shark Conservation Society and the Shark Trust, he has authored several books on the topic. Richard and his wife Jacqui are confirmed nomads who spend half the year in South Africa; their love of wildlife takes them to the bush at every opportunity.

Part of the proceeds of sales of this book will go to the South African Veterinary Association (SAVA).